Chapter 1: Pehli Mulaqat
Wo shaam kuch alag thi.
Hawa me thandak thi, lekin mere dil me ajeeb si garmi mehsoos ho rahi thi. Main college ke lawn me akela baitha tha, kitaab khuli hui thi, lekin nazar lafzon par nahi tik rahi thi.
Tabhi wo aayi.
Safed dupatta, simple si dress, aur aankhon me wo khamoshi jo bohot kuch keh rahi thi. Us ke chalne ka andaaz itna saadah tha ke kisi ka bhi dil ruk jaye. Main ne bas ek pal ke liye dekha tha… lekin shayad usi pal me sab kuch badal gaya.
Wo mere samne wali bench par baith gayi.
"Kya main yahan baith sakti hoon?"
Us ki awaaz halki si laraz rahi thi.
"Haan… haan bilkul," main ne jaldi se jawab diya, jaise agar dair kar di to wo chali na jaye.
Kuch dair tak hum dono khamosh rahe. Sirf patton ki sarsarahat aur door se aati students ki awaazein sunai de rahi thin. Main soch raha tha ke kuch kahoon, lekin lafz saath nahi de rahe thay.
"Aap… English literature?" us ne meri kitaab dekh kar poocha.
"Haan," main muskuraya, "aur aap?"
"Psychology," us ne kaha, phir dheere se hansi. "Logon ke dimagh samajhne ki koshish."
Main ne socha, shayad tum mera dil bhi samajh logi…
Wo pehli mulaqat sirf chand baaton par khatam ho gayi, lekin us ke baad wo khamoshi bhi mujhe apni lagne lagi thi. Jaate hue us ne sirf itna kaha:
"Kal yahin milenge?"
Aur main bas sar hila saka.
Us raat mujhe neend nahi aayi. Us ka chehra, us ki awaaz, us ki aankhen… sab zehen me ghoom raha tha. Mujhe andaza nahi tha ke ye mulaqat meri zindagi ka sab se khoobsurat aur sab se dardnaak safar banne wali hai.
Agla din aaya. Main waqt se pehle lawn me pohanch gaya. Dil zor zor se dharak raha tha, jaise kisi imtihaan ka result aane wala ho. Phir wo nazar aayi… aur mere chehre par khud-ba-khud muskurahat aa gayi.
"Lagta hai aap intezar kar rahe thay," us ne kaha.
"Shayad," main ne jawab diya, "kuch cheezon ka intezar khushi deta hai."
Us ne meri taraf dekha, kuch kehna chaha… phir chup ho gayi. Shayad us ke dil me bhi koi jang chal rahi thi.
Humein kya pata tha ke ye mulaqat, ye baatein, ye muskurahatein… ek din sirf yaadein ban kar reh jayengi.
Kyun ke kuch mohabbatein mukammal hone ke liye nahi hoti…
sirf mehsoos karne ke liye hoti hain.